For Easter, I spent some time with my mom and dad. The light was perfect in the music room and I got some adorable pictures of Caroline. These are some of my favorites!
Siblings
Why I don’t get a lot of pictures of both of my kids
Cutie Patootie
Piano Player
Daddy!
Mommy’s Girl
See more Easter pictures on Flickr.
We’ve been wanting to do something special as a family. With the Memorial Day weekend, we especially searched for the right thing. Ryan felt inspired to take our family on a trip to Kirtland and Palmyra so off we went on Thursday afternoon.We came back Monday.
It was a whirlwind of a trip. Paul and Caroline did great on the way East but I’m sure no one would be surprised to learn that the long drive back Sunday night and Monday was long. Caroline spent most of the trip through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois on Monday screaming because she was mad to still be in the car. We took lots of breaks and she still was pretty mad. I didn’t put her in the carseat again until Wednesday afternoon but as soon as I did she started screaming again! I think she’s calmed down for now, because she’s been okay since then. Paul did well but got pretty tired of that car!
Our visit in Kirtland and Palmyra was a perfect amount of time. Paul was very excited to see the Sacred Grove. The week before we went, he told everyone. (This provided some interesting missionary moments for me. How great that a family vacation lets me explain to people what Mormonism is, and why we find it so important that the heaven are open to prophets in this era, just as in the past!)
Paul did tire of the old houses and lengthy sister missionary tours, so we did not see everything in Kirtland or Palmyra. We did see the Kirtland Temple with a Community of Christ tour and the N.K. Whitney store and house in Kirtland, and in Palmyra we saw Joseph Smith’s log home, the frame house, the Sacred Grove, the Grandin print building where The Book of Mormon was first published, and the Hill Cumorah statue. (I dropped my camera at the Hill Cumorah, breaking the lens, so the only pictures we have from that are those Paul took.)
The trip was just what we needed to create memories as a family. I think Paul now has a frame of reference. Although not everything will remain memorable, I suspect he will not forget that he has seen where Joseph Smith prayed.
Here are some of the pictures Paul took. He played with the camera as we drove, so he had tons of pictures of Caroline (who was right next to him). My favorite is the ultimate bored look in the second picture of my baby.
Daddy: Paul, who should say the prayer tonight?
Paul: You! [pointing emphatically]
Daddy: You?
Paul: No, YOU! [still pointing]
Daddy: You?
Paul: No! [thinks a moment] Me! [still pointing at Daddy]
Daddy: Me?
Paul: YES!
Paul: Mooo! Moooo!
Mommy: Oh, is that cow I hear in the car?!
Paul: Yeah! [a pause] Pig pig pig pig.
Mommy: Um, Paul, are you being a pig?
Paul: Yes!
Mommy: Paul, pigs say “oink,” not “pig pig pig.”
Paul: But baby pigs say “pig pig pig.”
This is a picture I did not take of Paul and Daddy looking out Paul’s bedroom window in the growing twilight at bedtime, Daddy saying, “And there’s one! And there’s one! Paul, do you see the fireflys?” and Paul saying, “Yes, Daddy! Look!” and cuddling a little closer to him, and I smile and tip-toe back downstairs to finish the dishes all the while thinking “Yes, this is why he quit his other job, this is why he comes home at night, and this is why Paul stayed awake to wait for him” and I hear shrieks of laughter from upstairs as I tidy the kitchen and I know life is as it should be.
I got inspiration for this from www.unphotographable.com, which is written by a photographer who has missed some great shots either because it was against the law to take a picture or he did not have his camera or taking a picture would not have been appropriate or he just did not take the picture.
As was mentioned, we drove to Nauvoo this last week. The first day (Tuesday), he enjoyed learning about Joseph Smith at Carthage, even if the movie and then the tour was a little too long for him. Then, at the visitor’s Center, a full ten mintues got him through all the exhibits. Lots of exclamations of “Joseph Smith!” and “Jesus” when he saw something familiar. Then, Paul saw two and a half of the restored old houses (he had a fit during the blacksmith, which I thought he would have liked) and the second day he made it through a visit to the bakery. And that was it. I overestimated how “fun” it would be for a two year old.
We did play a little bit at the Pioneer Pastimes station, which has pioneer games. But it was sweltering, so we didn’t stay outside long, and in fact came home Wednesday afternoon. (They closed the outdoor exhibits due to excessive heat and Paul would not sit through the inside things.) Before it got too hot, we also went to the ox cart ride. Homer and his friend (forgot the other ox’s name) walking in a circle for about 4 minutes and Paul got to pet his back. He has said “I rode a Ox!” to anyone who will listen every day since then.
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The Ox Cart
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Paul with Homer the Ox
Paul also loved seeing the Temple.
I think our brief time in Nauvoo was just right for him.
Mommy and Daddy took pictures of the Nauvoo Temple and so we encouraged Paul to as well since we gave him that cheap camera. He took a couple pictures and then said, “I did already” so I don’t think he understood why his amateur photographer father took an hour of pictures!
Here are Paul’s pictures. I’ve omitted the dozens of pictures of his fingers and of the wall, floor, grass, etc. I know these below still are silly and out of focus but I’m actually pretty impressed that I could tell what he was taking pictures of!
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Yes, he took this himself!
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I held the camera for him while he pushed the button.
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He did this all himself! He wanted a picture of the "other temple," i.e., the Catholic church building next to the Nauvoo temple.
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He did it all himself! He wanted a picture of Daddy taking pictures.
The other night, I was in the other room while Paul and Daddy laughed and played. After a little while, Paul came in to find me.
“Mommy,” he said in a toddler whine. “Daddy stole my nose!!”
“Tell him to give it back,” I responded, trying to surpress a laugh.
From the other room, I could hear Paul repeating this request to Daddy. Daddy, being the joker that he is, said, “I can’t. I ate it.”
I went in a moment later to see Paul with his definitive sad face (lip protruding as far as it would go) and the saddest little look on his face. Apparently, this was pretty serious.
I let him steal my nose too, and all was well. Still, I’ll never forget that little toddler tattle-tale whine: “Daddy stole my nose!!”
Grandma Peggy and Papa Paul came to stay with me! I had so much fun with them that I still keep talking about them!
We spent a lot time in the car the first night. But that’s because we went to Chicago. We walked down the street to go to dinner together. Grandma Peggy gave me a puppy that we called Billy. I wore Billy on my back and Grandma held on to his leash so Billy wouldn’t get lost while we walked around. there were so many things to look at, I forgot to look at where I was going! But I knew Grandma was right there with me.
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Mommy says she wants me to put in this picture of Navy Pier. She says she took it when she and Grandma and Daddy went for a walk. I didn't see it because I stayed at the hotel and slept in that nice big bed! (Grandpa stayed with me.)
It was a special day because then we went to ride on a boat! I was very excited to see the boat. The walk to get to the boat seemed to take forever and I wanted to be carried. Mommy says it was four blocks. Is that a lot?
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We got on the boat and it was exciting!
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I played with my sunglasses.
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I looked at the water.
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I sat on Mommy's and Daddy's and Grandma Peggy's and Papa Paul's laps.
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Mommy and Daddy and Grandma Peggy took pictures of buildings. Some person was talking about the buildings. I was bored, for the most part. But then we got off the boat and went and ate food! And then we went in a car again. We drove to a Museum called the Museum of Science and Industry.
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I had fun seeing a big tractor
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and I loved the cow. Cows say "Moo!"
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I also saw a fun toy train set. I watched it for a long time.
ETA (Dec 2011): Post has been post-dated to reflect date pictures were taken. Originally posted July 2010.
It has been a long time since our family went anywhere, so we took advantage of the no Sunday responsibilities weekend on Easter and drove to southern Illinois to the Cache River Wild Life Area — a state park. Mommy and Daddy took some pictures and Paul enjoyed going for walks and jumping in puddles. Mommy really wanted to see an Easter sunrise and she got her wish!
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About to Jump (taken April 3, 2010 by Mommy)
Nice job, Paul!
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(I would say maybe he needs practice focusing, but I promise, this camera is so cheap I don’t know if better focus is possible!!)
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If that picture (just a random snapshot) doesn’t capture the essence of this little boy, I don’t know what will.
Paul loves to say “Happy.” I know it’s going to be a good morning when I go in to get him and he says “Happy! Happy!” He also learned the sign for “awake” via Signing Time and he likes to say that too in the morning or just after a nap. As if his happy noises weren’t enough of a clue.
He also has taken to saying “Yes” whenever I ask a question. It’s always a very deliberate answer, and now the “s” is very distinct.
“Do you want to wear shorts today?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want raisins in your oatmeal?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to wash your hands?”
“Yes.”
I’m glad it’s the positive word instead of the negative word. I’m not looking forward to that day…
Daddy has begun traveling again, after working from home for almost two months. Monday Paul spent a lot of time looking for Daddy: in his office, in the bedroom, in the closets. By today, he’s figured out that Daddy went to work by taking an airplane. When he mentions Daddy, I say he’s at work, and Paul acts like an airplane. It’s so sad to see how much he misses Daddy! But we’re glad Daddy will be home Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Paul likes airplanes. Probably not as much as he still loves trains, but airplanes we see outside everyday. We also pass the train station on our way to church every week, which always gets him happy as well.
Paul sits on the toilet about five times a day. It is a new fun game that I don’t mind encouraging. Sometimes he’s successful. Success always startles him.
Anyway, I have been horrible about pictures this month. My sister and her kids came this week and I didn’t even take a single picture. Here’s my official commitment to be better in August!
P.S. I am debating cutting off the curls in August….Stay tuned!
There was no memory card in my camera today and I found a few pictures on the internal memory. These must be from last October, because Paul is quite a newborn.
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I can’t believe how tiny he is in these pictures. I miss my little boy!